Rheumatologist
Well, the registrar was more useful than the consultant, as it's often the case.
The general outcome of today is:
There isn’t really any news on the fibromyalgia front. The approach they suggest is on three fronts:
1) physical, with the graded exercise and physiotherapy as I have been doing. The only thing that can be added to this is hydrotherapy, but it is not easily available in this trust; they are looking into its feasibility
2) medication: I am being referred to the pain clinic in order to get local cortison injections to ease the pain in the worst areas (neck and shoulders) -finally! I have been asking about these for the past several months, and somebody is finally doing something!
3) counselling support, already received and further is being organised - I still think it's a waste of time, but they seem to be obsessed with the idea the fibromyalgia is really unexpressed and somatised anxiety/depression or some subcontiously hidden trauma that gets its outlet physically :/
The registrar is of the opinion that I am doing all the right things, I am managing the condition sensibly and the outlook is overall good. She cannot however make a definite statement regarding my fitness to teach, because it depends too much on how I am doing. In principle there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be, eventually, but it is anybody’s guess as to how and when, and it is not now. The matter is now convincing both Occupational Health and the LEA that they want to realease me on medical grounds rather then force me to either resign (and loose the incapacity to work benefit) or to go back but periodically loose me for 6 months or more at a time.
Apologies to phual and crashbarrier, who endured a very Italian style conversation shouted from the window - I would have loved to come with you to the Transport Museum, in nearly 7 years that I lived in Coventry i still haven't made it there. Thank you for having thought of me, I am generically around at home, so if you happen to be around again please do give me a prod!
BTW, phual: how comes you are around at mo? I remember you muttering something about being signed off, but you never explained why....
The general outcome of today is:
There isn’t really any news on the fibromyalgia front. The approach they suggest is on three fronts:
1) physical, with the graded exercise and physiotherapy as I have been doing. The only thing that can be added to this is hydrotherapy, but it is not easily available in this trust; they are looking into its feasibility
2) medication: I am being referred to the pain clinic in order to get local cortison injections to ease the pain in the worst areas (neck and shoulders) -finally! I have been asking about these for the past several months, and somebody is finally doing something!
3) counselling support, already received and further is being organised - I still think it's a waste of time, but they seem to be obsessed with the idea the fibromyalgia is really unexpressed and somatised anxiety/depression or some subcontiously hidden trauma that gets its outlet physically :/
The registrar is of the opinion that I am doing all the right things, I am managing the condition sensibly and the outlook is overall good. She cannot however make a definite statement regarding my fitness to teach, because it depends too much on how I am doing. In principle there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be, eventually, but it is anybody’s guess as to how and when, and it is not now. The matter is now convincing both Occupational Health and the LEA that they want to realease me on medical grounds rather then force me to either resign (and loose the incapacity to work benefit) or to go back but periodically loose me for 6 months or more at a time.
Apologies to phual and crashbarrier, who endured a very Italian style conversation shouted from the window - I would have loved to come with you to the Transport Museum, in nearly 7 years that I lived in Coventry i still haven't made it there. Thank you for having thought of me, I am generically around at home, so if you happen to be around again please do give me a prod!
BTW, phual: how comes you are around at mo? I remember you muttering something about being signed off, but you never explained why....